Apparatus for handling coils of wire



July 2, 1940.

R. c. PIERCE APPARATUS FOR HANDLING COILS OF\ WIRE L32 l INVENToR.

ROBERT C. PIERCE.

@ayant 5 ATTORNEYS.

July 2, l'clf R Q PIERCE 2,206,121 v AEPARATUS FOR HANDLING coILs o`F WIRE Filed sept. 5, 1938 s..sneets-sheet 2 W Ei i 2z` Z4 ze zf\ l H- I f m f Ja I v i v 8 I E /f/4 .-34 .-46 -ff 6 0 l 6 1! l In] I ,30 Z3 23 Il Z Il /H 32 INVENTOR. BY ROBERT C. PIERCE 7m @www M A TTORNEY.

July 2, 1940. R. c. PIERCE 2,206,121

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING COILS 0F WIRE Filed sept. 5.1938 5 shets-sneet 5 Y INVENTOR. I /omr C P/ERC/ F927 Byfc'a'mkg @Mwm ATTORNEY.:

I upper end of the wire carrier, showing the means Patented July 2, 1940 APPAATUS FOR HANDLING COILS 0F Robert `lo. Pierce, Nues, Mien, assigner to.

National Standard Company, Niles,

Mich., a

corporation of Michigan Application September 3, 1938, Serial No. 228,283

` Claims.

This invention relates to handling heavy coils Aoi? wire-and the like, andy is illustrated as embodied in a power-driven apparatus for .lifting the coils from a carrier-by meansof which they are transported around a factory. The apparatus is especially useful in handling the wire .when it is too hot to bejeasily manipulated4 manually.

Preferably the carrier for the wire has the lowermost coil of wire resting` on a movable support. The4 carrier is secured to a base, and power-driven mechanism is operated to lift 'a support surrounding the base, to engage and lift the rst support with the pile of coils of wire carried thereby, thus stripping the coils vertically from the carrier.. The permanentlyinstalled part of the apparatus, with which the carrier cooperates, ismost conveniently arranged on the lower oor of a building, below an opening in the upper floor through which the pile o f wire coils is lifted, so that as the topmost coil reaches a convenient 'height a workman may readily push it oi onto a truck standing on the upper iioor.

The above and other objects and features of the invention, including various novelv combinations of parts and desirable particular conf 'strugtions and arrangements, will be apparent from the following description of the illustrative. embodiment shown inlthe accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 *is aY section vertically throughtwo floors of a building, with the wire-handling ap.

^ Immediately below the opening 24, on a lower paratus shown in side elevation;

' i Figure 2 is a detail elevation of one form of device for lifting the carrier, with coils of wire thereon, by means oi. a crane or the like;

.-i Figure 3 is a detail section through one o f the worm-and-nut devices bylwhich the wire is raisedand lowered;

Figure 4 is a detail perspective viw of the for Iquickly attaching it' to a holdingrod;

Figure -5 is a partial section through a building-showing a load of wire about to be lowered invention.

When wire (usually in`heavy coils) has been -A annealed,or heatedfor any other reason, it is desirable to save as much time as possibleby' transporting it to the next operation just soon as it is cool enough so that it will not oxidize in the air. At this time itis still quite hot and, especially with very heavy coils, is

difficult. to handlewith ordinary equipment.

According to the present invention, the coils W of wire are piled one on top of the other on anannular support I0 resting on'a ring or flange I2 forming the bottom element of a carrier for transporting the wire. The carrier has, welded to the bottom ring I2, an annular series of bars or the like- I4 which pass upwardly through the coils, and the upper ends of which are welded or otherwise secured to an upper ring I6. To `facilitate lowering the coils onto it in loading, the upper end of the carrier is preferably tapered, the bars I4 converging attheir'upper ends and the ring I6 being of smaller 'diameter than the .ring I2. This carrier is claimed per s e in my lapplication No. 322,870. iiled March 8, 1940, which as to this common subject-matter is a partial continuation of the present application.

The wire, as shown in Figure 5, when on such a carrier is easily transported by a traveling crane I8 or the like, grapples or hooks v2li of any desired type being provided to grasp the upper ring I6. In removing the hot wire from the carrier and placing it on .trucks (one of which is shown diagrammatically at 22 iny Figure 6), the, crane I8 is manipulated to bring the carrier above an opening 24 in an upper oor 28 of a building.

cured to'the plates 30 and having radial webs- A36 welded in its upper end and welded or other-- wise secured to a` threaded axial .sleeve 38.- A.

vertical axial holding bar- 40, arranged to project upwardly from the upper face of the ped- 38X and locked there by suitablenuts 42.

The carrier andthe coils of wire are lowered` '45 estal, is threaded Aat its lower end into the sleeve from the position of 'Figure 5, through the open- .c-shaped locking plate 46 (see Figure 4) is placedover the ring I8 about the bar 4l, and the nut symmetrically arranged about the axis of the apparatus. Threaded on the worms Il are square nuts I2, grooved on their opposite faces to embrace and support a plurality of arms 54,-'

the ends of which project into and are guided by the channels in the uprights Il.

The arms 54 converge upwardly, and form a pyramidal structure welded to a ring IO on which rests and to which is secured a movable annular support i8 surrounding the upper end of the pedestal, around and (when in lowered position) approximately in the plane of the ring I2. The support I8 in this position is just below the support I0, and` when the support Il is lifted it will raise the entire-pile of wire coils, stripping them upwardly oil! the carrier I4. l

'Ihe worms ".are simultaneously driven by sprocket gearing, shown as including a sprocket ,chain Il driving sprocket gears $2 on the lower ends ofthe worms. 'I'he chain Il is reversibly driven through a reduction gear M by an electric motor ll. -The control circuit of the motor I6 includes upper and 'lower limit switches Il -and 1I engaged and opened by one of the arms I4- at the limits of travel of the support Il.

Inoperation, the Aarms Il and the support Il `slowly lift the pile of wire coils oi!` the carrier Il at such a height relatively to the floor 2i that a workman can conveniently push theni oi! directly onto trucks 22.-

" While one illustrative construction has been described in detail, it is not the intention to limit centrally through a pile of said coils and having at its lower end coil supporting means including a movable support for `the lowermost coil which is adapted to rest on the nrstsupport when the carrier is lowered onto said base, said carrier having at its upper end means forA securing the carrier to the holding member to prevent upward movement of said carrier while the lifting meansraises the two-supports with the coils of wire thereon.-

2. Apparatus for handling coils of wire and the like comprising a base having a holding mem ber, a support surrounding the upper portion of said base, and means for lifting said support upwardly away'from said `base, in combination with a carrier having a central portion adapted to pass centrally through a pile of said coils and having at its lower end coil supporting means.' including a movable support for the lowermost coil which is adapted to rest on the nrst support when the carrier is lowered onto said base. said carrier havingmeans for seuring the carrier to the holding x'nember to prevent upward movement of said @carrier while the lifting means raises the two supports with the coils of wire thereon.

3. Apparatus for handling coils of wire or the Alike comprising, for use in combination with two doors of a building the upper one of which has an opening therein large enough for the coils to pass through, a support below said opening having lifting means mounted on the ilrst floor,

acarrier for a pile of lsoils of wire having a movable support for the lowermost coil adapted to rest on the first support. and means readily attachable to and detachable from said carrier by an operator standing on the upper door for securing the carrier against vertical movement without interfering' with vertical movement of.'

the two supports as the two supports are lifted to raise the pile of coils through said opening.

4. Apparatus for handling coils of wire or the like comprising, fonuse in combination with two tloors oi!` a buildingx the upper one of which has an opening therein large enough for the coils to pass through, a support below said opening having lifting means mounted on the first floor, a carrier,for a pile of coils of wire having a movable support for the lowermost coil adapted to rest on. the first support. and a stationary holding bar adapted to pass through the center of the carrier axially of said coils and having means for attaching it to the upper end ofthe carrier to hold the carrier as the two supports 'are lifted to raise the pile ofcoils through said opening.

y5. Apparatus for handling coils of wire or the like comprising a vertically movable support having lifting means. a carrier for a pile of coils of wire having a movable support for the lowermost coil adapted to rest on the first support; and a stationary holding bar adapted to pass th/rough the center of the carrier axially of said coils and having means for attaching it to the upper end of the carrier to hold the carrier as the two supports. are lifted to raise the pile of coils 6. Apparatus coils of wire or the like comprising, for use-incombination with two iloors of a building the upper one of which has an opening therein large enough for the coils to pass through,a support below said opening having lifting means mounted on the ilrst door, aV carrier for a pile ofcoils of' wire having a movable support for the lowermost coil adapted to rest on the first support, and means for holding the carrier as the two supports are liftecl to raise the pile of coils through s'aid opening, said lifting means comprising a plurality of vertical worms having nuts .supporting arms engaging the nrst support, and mechanism for simultaneously driving said worms comprising a sprocket on the end of each worm and a motor driven sprocket'and a continuous sprocket chain -meshing with all of said sprockets.

,'7. Apparatus for handling coils of wire and the like comprising an upwardlyeproiecting base having a holding rod projecting upwardly from itsl upper face, arr annular'support surrounding.

theupper end ofsaid base and havinga plurality of arms extending downwardly symmetrically around said base, a corresponding plurality of `vertical worms having nuts and'- v11mm; and 4lowering said respectively.

' and a movable support for,the lowermost coil lresting on said tlangeandadapted to be engaged anaiifted bythe nrst support' and having at its is 'of the holding rod.

upper end means to be secured to the upper end -its upper face,l an` annular support surrounding the upper end of said base and having a plurality of arms extending downwardly symmetrically around said base, a corresponding plurality of vertical worms having nuts engaging and lifting and lowering said arms respectively. and means for rotating said worms to lift and lower said support.

9. Apparatus for handling coils of wire and the like comprising a base in the form of la pedestal, an annular support having downwardly-extending arms symmetrically arranged about the pedestal, power-driven mechanism engaging and raising or lowering said arms, and holding means secured to the upper face of said pedestal.

l0. Apparatus for handling coils of wire and 

